Lifting boxes can be a tedious and unpleasant endeavor. Among other things, large boxes can be cumbersome and difficult to grip. Moreover, lifting boxes in an improper manner can cause severe back injuries. There have been many attempts to develop means and devices for improving the ease with which one can lift boxes, but none of them have been especially satisfactory.
There are many devices that operate as handles, with differences directed to the mechanism by which the devices attach to the boxes being lifted. U.S. Pat. No. 7,093,324 to Udy teaches a handle having adjustable loops that can tighten around a box. U.S. Pat. No. 4,707,011 to McKim, U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,237 to Koenig, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,871,242 to Whitney all teach devices that combine teeth with hinges, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,620 to Jordening, U.S. Pat. No. 6,217,091 to Whitney, U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,349 to Uccellini, and U.S. Pat. No. 1,203,339 to Holstein, all teach devices that grab a box without hinges.
Unfortunately, in all of the above devices the entirety of the weight is carried through the hands of the lifter. Thus, there is still a need for a box lifting devices that transfer at least some of the weight around the hands and wrists of the lifter.